I,m sure you will get more answers but in the mean time you see the white search box top right?
If you put chickens into that you will get a list of all the times the word chicken is mentioned.
Amongst them there may be some tips on chicken keeping

Chickens are lovely. Not sure if you get problems with foxes in New York but if you do, you really need to make their run as fox proof as you can....and then fox proof it a bit more. The same really applies to rats and mice too.

I thought mine was pretty secure but the fox(es) ripped a hole in the wire, got in and killed my 3 chooks over night. .

Lots of info on the web, they're easy to keep and feed (they eat anything) and they're just lovely pets too.

Good luck and post some pics when you get them

Thank you! I will post pics when we get them! Kids are excited to pick out some chicks.

My neighbour has four chickens, two white,a black speckles and a pretty grey, they were new last spring and are still laying an egg a day even when snow was on the ground......really lovely eggs too.

Her chicken run is on wheels and is moved every day to a new part of the orchard, we get foxes around but up to now haven't managed to get in.

I'm sure the children will love them

A smallholder neighbour has a cockerel & 3/4 hens (as a true Frenchman he doesn't think you should have one without the others!!!) - they are great fun to watch and (the hens!) give lovely eggs - however I have to say he is on his 3rd cockerel in the 5 years I have been here - in central France - and has lost some hens as well, it seems the foxes just wait for him to save up his pennies for a new fellah and companions, and then come and grab Monsieur Cocorico...

I must admit I would love to keep them, myself, but the expense of the fox-proof housing etc. puts me off... my ex-OH in England has recently acquired an allotment (2 min from his home) where there is permission to keep them so he too is planning perhaps to venture... An English friend sent me this link recently which looks useful (http://keeping-chickens.me.uk/)

Good luck if you do decide to! I think it's great for children to have acquaintance with animals and most importantly to know the need to care for them (we had goats and pony and dogs/cats when our kids were small) in this modern world...

Thank you! We have an old shed that we don't use, so were thinking of a chicken coop with a veggie patch beside it. We don't have an issue with foxes or coyotes, two big german shepards take care of that! And the shed is on the edge of their run.
The Farm next to us also raises chickens, so when the weather is nicer, I'll make a pot of tea and head over therer.See what they have set up. I am really excited to try!

how you getting on..ive just had some myself and already enjoying the experience. One flew the run today so I clipped the wings of all of them, I was quite nervous at first but they didnt seem to mind one bit, they are happily grazing now

Can't have any :O(
Even though we have 1 1/2 acres, the town says I do not have enough space between ourselves and our neighbours. What a load of baloney!